Trailer hitch assemblies incorporating a ball on a vehicle and a trailer having a tongue with a bulbous hollow receptacle for receiving such ball on the vehicle are well known. The bulbous receptacle on the tongue of the trailer and associated locking mechanism are generally referred to as the trailer coupler. The structural design of a trailer coupler has become standardized. Geresy (U.S. Pat. No. 3,237,969) discloses the standard trailer coupler design which is fabricated from metal plate material. As depicted by Geresy, the standard design includes a bulbous hollow for receiving the ball on a vehicle for connection thereto. Further, the wall of the bulbous hollow continues in a lateral direction on the bottom side of the coupler to form a lateral marginal flange which extends beyond the bulbous hollow to form the perimeter of the trailer coupler when viewed from above.
As described above, the lateral marginal flange of the coupler extends beyond the walls of the bulbous hollow. With this design, the longitudinal edge of the lateral marginal flange becomes a first area of contact between a vehicle and the coupler. Thus, the projecting flange, although necessary for structural integrity, can cause extensive damage to vehicles when backing up to a trailer coupler for connecting a trailer to that particular vehicle.
For example, when a vehicle is being backed up to a trailer, the operator of the vehicle cannot see the trailer coupler which is obscured by the vehicle. Thus, unless the operator always has an additional person giving direction, the operator must guess the distance to backup. This many times leads to contact between the trailer coupler lateral marginal flange and the back of the vehicle. This contact causes damage to paint on the vehicle, bumper and/or license plate on many occasions.
This problem is further complicated by the operator having to guess the appropriate height of the coupler prior to backing under the trailer. The proper height can vary with the grade on which the vehicle and trailer are positioned. Thus, improper height can lead to contact between the lateral marginal flange and readily damaged portions of the vehicle, such as the trunk lid or even plastic lighting covers.
Although some trailer hitch guards have been developed, none have been developed to date to protect against metal-to-metal contact between the lateral marginal flange of the coupler and the vehicle when blindly backing underneath the trailer coupler for connection with the vehicle. For example, Young et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 4,509,770) disclose a decorative cover for the end of a draw bar which cannot be utilized to address the above-identified problem. Young et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 4,852,902) also disclose a towing hitch cover which protects the draw bar when the draw bar is not in place. Again, this design does not address the problems associated with contact between the coupler of the trailer, but rather the vehicle portion of the hitch assembly. Finally, Beckerer, Jr. (U.S. Pat. No. 4,955,968) discloses a protective cover for a trailer hitch which fits over the ball of the trailer. The cover is designed to protect operators from injury when they hit their leg on the ball on the vehicle when a trailer is not attached thereto. The design could not be utilized to protect against damage associated with the marginal lateral flange of the coupler contacting the vehicle when being attached thereto.
Accordingly, the need exists for a trailer coupler guard which protects against damage from metal-to-metal contact or metal-to-vehicle contact when a vehicle is blindly backed up to a trailer for connection thereto. The guard should provide a cushion for contact between the lateral marginal flange of the trailer and the vehicle, yet not interfere with, or contact the vehicle when the trailer is connected to the ball of the hitch for transport. Further, the guard should be easily installed by the consumer or trailer owner and inexpensive.
The present invention addresses these needs, as well as other problems associated with contact and subsequent damage due to contact between the lateral marginal flange of a trailer coupler and a vehicle. The present invention also offers further advantages over the prior art and solves problems associated therewith.